FAQ's About The GoDaddy Acquisition

Watch Demian Sellfors & Russ Reeder answer questions via a live Q&A

Updated as of 10/18/2013

Why GoDaddy? Why the acquisition?
The reason for this is simple – it helps us accelerate our growth so we can serve more Web designers and developers in the U.S. and around the world. We are very proud of how far we’ve come since 1998. GoDaddy gives us the investment and scale to grow in a way and at a pace that we have not yet achieved organically. Now, we are on a faster track to reach more web professionals. GoDaddy is determined to gain more insight and visibility into the web professional and web developer world – which is where we’ve built our reputation and brand.  They will lean on our expertise to “up their game” with the Web pro community.

While financial return was, of course, a part of the decision, the founders made a “very specific decision” with GoDaddy. With a significant amount of outside parties interested in a deal, and even higher offers on the table, in the end GoDaddy was the only company who would commit to maintaining the (mt) brand, company culture, mission and autonomy.

What about GoDaddy’s reputation in the tech community?
GoDaddy has been transformed in recent months and is essentially a new company. If we did not like what we have seen, we would not have joined the GoDaddy family. They have overhauled their leadership team and attracted tech talent from the best-of-the-best. We love “the new GoDaddy” that CEO Blake Irving and his team have created, especially their new approach with advertising, product focus and UX.

Though neither GoDaddy’s brand nor operations are being integrated into ours, we are excited to be a positive influence on them with how to make even more improvements to better serve the Web pro community.

Does it bother you that GoDaddy supports SOPA?
GoDaddy’s record is clear: the “new” GoDaddy does not support SOPA. One of their former employees was interested in it for her personal political cred but the company was not behind it. Get the full story here. They stand with (mt) and most of the Web community when it comes to privacy on the Internet.

Will Media Temple be merging with GoDaddy?
No, we keep operating independently. The strategy to keep the two companies operating independently was critical for us. While we are excited about GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving’s vision to build bridges between GoDaddy and the Web developer community, the commitment to maintain (mt)’s independent operations is what sealed the deal for us.

How does this affect me, as an (mt) customer?
It doesn’t. (mt) and GoDaddy continue to operate independently, so it’s ‘business as usual.’ We’ll keep doing what we do best: serving you and helping you succeed online.

How will my user experience change?
We’re constantly working toward improving the customer experience.

We might revamp our website in the next couple of months, which we were on track to do anyway, but the changes wouldn’t be GoDaddy influenced. It’s more about making our site better looking and easier to navigate.

You say nothing will change, but we’ve all seen acquisitions before, and that is rarely the case. How can you assure us that you won’t just become the next GoDaddy?
It’s not just a verbal reassurance, it’s a contract. There is a mandate from GoDaddy that says (mt) will remain independent. They acquired us because of the value we offer in areas where they lack – and we both stand to learn from each other. What value would (mt) be to GoDaddy if they just turned us into them?

Will your product offering or your pricing change?
No. Since we continue to operate as a separate company, our products, services and pricing stay the same.

Can I apply GoDaddy discounts to domains and hosting with you?
No. (mt) and GoDaddy’s systems continue to operate independently, which means GoDaddy discounts can’t be used with our services and vice versa.

Will you be sharing my personal & financial information with GoDaddy?
Your personal and financial information stays securely in our system. No third-party vendors will ever have access to it, which has always been our practice. GoDaddy’s and Media Temple’s billing information are stored and managed separately, and the tokenized information cannot be shared between companies. While other personal information is technically accessible, we don’t anticipate any need to share it. You will not be receiving any GoDaddy marketing or promotional emails unless you are currently a GoDaddy customer, or sign up to be.

Will you be moving my server to a new data center?
No. Your hosting is still be served out of our data centers. We have no plans to migrate your services at this time.

Will I still be able to talk to my favorite support person at Media Temple?
Of course! Our customer support remains the same, which means you can still talk to them 24/7/365.

Will I still be able to use Media Temple to manage my domain?
Yes.

Is this happening because Media Temple is not doing well?
Definitely not. Our growth, leadership and track record are what attracted GoDaddy in the first place. In fact, our new partners are very excited to learn from us.

Will the Media Temple name/logo/website/AccountCenter change?
No, not as a result of partnering with GoDaddy. An update to the (mt) website is in the works, but the changes aren’t related to the acquisition.

Will Media Temple now offer GoDaddy products and vice versa?
We aren’t going into this partnership with specific product sharing plans, but if there’s a proposal that makes sense, we’re open to reviewing opportunities as long as it would be a clear benefit to our customers.

What about your CEO/co-founder Demian Sellfors?
Demian’s succession plan has been a long time in the making. In fact, Demian engineered the company’s strategy resulting in this acquisition. About a year and a half ago. Demian handpicked Russell P. Reeder to run the company. Both have been intimately involved with this acquisition. Demian will be shifting his focus to other projects, but his dream for (mt) to be the most trusted company in the world is still very much alive.

What about the other co-founder, John Carey?
John Carey, (mt)’s co-founder and CFO, is transitioning out of (mt) as part of the acquisition. He has also been intimately involved with the strategy as well. This is something he’s been planning for and thinking about for some time.

Is there a press release?
Yes! http://mediatemple.net/company/press/20131015.php

What’s next?
We’ll high-five, celebrate the new relationship, and then it’s back to work!

Still skeptical? Swing by the office.

If you live near or are visiting the Los Angeles area, we invite you to come to (mt) Media Temple HQ and see firsthand that (mt) is still (mt). Fill out this contact form, choose “Tour Request”, and we’ll give you a personalized tour of our offices.